Education minister reaffirms commitment to improving schools

Education Minister Athena Michaelidou on Thursday reiterated the government’s commitment to enhancing both the structural and pedagogical functions of schools “in order to fully meet contemporary educational requirements and support the development of knowledge, skills, principles, attitudes, and values.”

In her address at the inauguration of a multipurpose hall at the Palouriotissa Primary School A, Michaelidou said that the refurbishment works completed at the school, with funds obtained from the Recovery and Resilience Plan funding, significantly boost its functionality and effectiveness.

“The school’s multicultural identity has become a key feature in recent years,” she said. “The new multipurpose hall provides opportunities for more creative and productive learning experiences for students and educators, as well as for the broader community.

“This aligns with our targeted policy of implementing important improvement, expansion, and modernisation projects across schools all in Cyprus,” she said.

Michaelidou stressed that the goal is to ensure everyone has uninterrupted access to learning in spaces that are truly functional and suitable for achieving multiple educational objectives.

“These objectives focus on creating a modern, human-centred, inclusive school environment, aiming to equip the new generations with skills, responsibility, democratic values, historical identity, and respect for diversity, in order to become citizens capable of facing future challenges and contributing creatively to society’s development.”

The minister also mentioned key goals already achieved during the first year of the Christodoulides administration, such as the update of curricula in schools across the country, the expansion of the all-day school programme, the ongoing transition from special to unified education, and the introduction of measures for the prevention and intervention in issues of violence and delinquency.